READ THE CITIZENS' VOICE

Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Citizens' Voice on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at citizensvoice.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

Contact Us
See department contacts, frequently asked questions, request customer service support, submit a photo or place an ad.

Article Tools

HARRISBURG – The release of a major audit concerning state regulation of the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling on water quality is the latest round in a debate now stretching back a half dozen years.

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said his agency’s audit of regulatory activities from 2009 to 2012 under two administrations shows the Department of Environmental Protection is underfunded, understaffed and inconsistent in handling development of the gas industry.

Corbett administration officials challenged the audit’s findings. A major contention is whether DEP should issue formal orders for drillers that damage water supplies, as DePasquale advocates, or encourage informal settlements with property owners.

This the latest example of a “performance” audit on how well an agency is fulfilling its mission and duties under state law. These go beyond financial audits to determine if government account books are properly balanced.

The Marcellus audit lit up Twitter, but whether it will have long-lasting impact depends on how others — lawmakers, officials, candidates and interest groups —respond to it.

An audit can have legs if bills are introduced to implement its findings, legislative committees hold public hearings on it or if candidates, such as Democratic gubernatorial challenger Tom Wolf, make it a continual theme in their campaigns.

Relatively few audits grab this kind of attention, but a couple in recent decades have managed to meet that threshold.

A clear example is audits by former Auditor General Jack Wagner uncovering problems with Department of Public Welfare programs. They targeted the special allowance program providing cash assistance to welfare recipients participating in employment and job-training programs. A 2009 audit concluded the program was rife with mismanagement and poor oversight, creating the potential for fraud.

Wagner is a Democrat and his audits were critical of practices under former Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration. Republicans held hearings on the DPW audits and continued to cite their findings after they took control the statehouse in 2011.

They used the audits to justify giving the DPW secretary special authority in 2011 to issue regulations to wring out “waste, fraud and abuse” in the welfare system.

During the 1990s, then- Auditor General Bob Casey, now a U.S. senator, issued a performance audit of Pennsylvania’s long-term care system for senior citizens. The audit concluded the Health Department was slow to investigate serious complaints about resident care at nursing homes. It produced a major headache for GOP Gov. Tom Ridge’s administration and led to a new complaint-response process and a change in leadership at the health department.

Of course, the foundation for these performance audits was laid by Casey’s father, the late Gov. Robert P. Casey who served as auditor general from 1969 to 1977.

He conducted performance audits of welfare programs, state treasury bank deposits, environmental programs, basic education subsidies, the Liquor Control Board, redevelopment authorities and centers for people with intellectual disabilities.

A 1971 performance audit found that 10 percent of welfare recipients were ineligible for benefits they were receiving, for example.

ROBERT SWIFT is Harrisburg bureau chief for Times-Shamrock newspapers. Email him at rswift@timesshamrock.com.

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.